Newsletters sent using the scattergun approach are a thing of the past. If you want to score points with your customers, you have to target them with the right product at the right time. Next-best-offer campaigns start right here and promise higher success rates. Heise has recognized this advantage for itself and sends individual product recommendations for its online shop via newsletter. This was made possible by the flexible connection of the Inxmail email marketing platform to the existing systems – in particular, the smooth interaction between the DynaCampaign campaign management tool and the Inxmail email marketing solution. The shop sales generated by the newsletter are proof of its success: they have increased.
![[Translate to English:] Logo von Heise Medien, bestehend aus einem stilisierten, schwarzen 'h' in einem Kreis und dem Schriftzug 'Heise Medien' daneben.](/fileadmin/assets/warum/case_studies/Heise/inxmail-referenzbild-logo-heise-medien.svg){kind=logo}
![[Translate to English:] Darstellung eines Laptops und eines Tablets, die beide den Heise-Shop zeigen. Auf dem Laptop-Bildschirm ist eine Produktseite für das 'Make Arduino Special 2017' Magazin zu sehen, während das Tablet Empfehlungen für Produkte wie ePaper-Displays für den Raspberry Pi anzeigt.](/fileadmin/_processed_/0/0/csm_inxmail-referenzbild-case-study-heise-laptop-tablet-1100-614_c3e87c4494.png)
Flexible connection and project experience
Heise uses next-best-offer campaigns to promote products from its online shop. These include subscriptions and printed editions of magazines such as c't, iX and Make, hardware such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino, gadgets, books and much more.
The implementation of the next-best-offer campaigns in email marketing required technological and consulting support. The prerequisite was the networking of the systems involved – in line with the best-of-breed approach: the specialized email marketing solution from Inxmail had to be flexibly integrated into the existing system landscape, consisting of the online shop, CRM, data mining software and DynaCampaign.
To achieve this, the two project-experienced partners Dymatrix and Inxmail, together with Heise Medien, defined the requirements in detail in a design workshop Dymatrix and Inxmail then also provided support during implementation.
A newsletter template in the design of the online shop was also required, which would enable simple newsletter creation and at the same time a professional appearance.
The right offer for every customer
“Our recommendations for you – Now in the heise shop!” This is the subject line with which Heise Medien sends a monthly newsletter to its recipients. The aim of the newsletter: to offer customers the most relevant offers possible that promise a high purchase probability.
Heise differentiates between two target groups: the first target group is presented with various top-selling products. The second target group has usually already made several purchases, so more knowledge about their buying behavior is available. These recipients receive a newsletter with a combination of individual recommendations and top-selling products.
The design of the mailings is aligned with the online store. Colors, buttons and other elements are taken from the website. The unified communication across both channels ensures a high recognition value.
Seamless integration of the email marketing solution
The systems, which are highly specialized for their applications, work together seamlessly, thus enabling product recommendations to be made via newsletters. Information about the products is transferred from the online shop to the CRM system. This includes article names, links, descriptive texts, prices and images. In the CRM system, the individual product recommendations are calculated based on the transaction data. A data mining software is also involved in the calculation.
The recipient selection takes place in DynaCampaign. From there, all the information required for the recommendations is then transferred to the Inxmail platform. This means that the recipient data combined with the product information from the shop is available for sending the individual offers. In the Inxmail platform, the product information is automatically integrated into the newsletter template. This ensures that the newsletters are optimally displayed on all end devices. Inxmail also ensures reliable email delivery.
Suitable offers in the newsletter boost shop sales
With its next-best-offer campaigns, Heise sends its customers offers that really interest them. This increases the likelihood that the corresponding items in the newsletter will be clicked on and then end up in the shopping cart. The customer-centric approach also has a positive effect on customer loyalty.
The figures prove the success of the email campaigns: since their introduction, the shop sales generated by the newsletter have increased by 20 percent. The company does not want to rest on its laurels, but plans to continuously optimize the newsletter. The layout is to be adapted and offers are to vary.
Heise Medien stands for high-quality, independent journalism. The publishing house publishes two successful computer magazines, c't and iX, the forward-looking technology magazine Technology Review and the multiple award-winning online magazine Telepolis. The website heise online is the leading medium for German-language high-tech news. With conferences, seminars and workshops, heise Events appeals to an upscale IT specialist audience.
More information about the DynaCampaign connection to Inxmail Professional can be found here.